Quality vs. quantity: It’s all about balance

We often say that quality over quantity is a good thing. You’d probably rather have a single block of lovingly created chocolate than a kilogram of chalky Easter eggs.

The same applies for marketing. Recently I read an article that argued the key to growing your business through content is sheer volume. Whilst I can see the merit in some of the points being made – and we have discussed before how valuable regular content is – it doesn’t necessarily ring true.

In my area of social media, I often see people posting lots of content, but it isn’t always strong. Certain posts are more likely to attract audience engagement and new followers, and more often than not these are ones with a true sense of purpose rather than something that exists for the sake of being new. Posting daily content is a great way to grow your blog or social media account, but not if the content isn’t strong.

Have you ever clicked on one good post and then spiraled down a rabbit hole of good, valuable content? Posting something that will connect with your audience and inspire them is far more valuable than posting forgettable content just because it’s what you’ve read you should be doing.

Finding the right balance is a combination of three key areas, which you’ll find outlined below:

1) Volume – Yes it’s true, if you’re not putting your business out there at least multiple times a week, then you’re falling behind. Because the reality is, what you put out yesterday is already forgotten.

Doing lots will make it easier and easier for your content to get noticed, and that’s what it’s all about if you’re starting from zero. Start doing a lot and maintain it, the key is to keep that momentum and trying your best not to slip. At the end of the day, social media is a marathon.

2) Variety – It’s the spice of life! Having variety keeps your audience interested in you and your business. If you usually upload photos, try a video. If you usually have short written content, try a full blog post. And on top of that, social media platforms favour variety as well.

Instagram posts uploaded from the same user that have different hashtag sets are more likely to do better than the same posts, but using old hashtag sets. The reason? It lets Instagram know that you’re a human, and not a spammy automated bot that spits out the same thing every day.

3) Value – The last piece of the puzzle is to provide some kind of value to your audience. Give them something to feel good about. Whether it’s educational, beautiful, interesting or impactful, if you have something for your audience to benefit from, it’s likely that your audience will want to engage with it more.

The truth is, there is so much useless clutter online. If you can provide true value and make your audience better off after they’ve interacted with your content, then you’re on the right track and you will grow your audience.

If you want to discuss how to structure your content within social media, contact me at Emote and we can have a frank no obligations discussion.